An easy synthesis of 2-aryl-3, 3-dichloroazetidines, a rather unexplored class of azaheterocycles, is described. The title compounds were easily obtained by reduction of the corresponding 4-aryl-3, 3-dichloro-2-azetidinones with monochloroalane, which in turn were synthesized by a ketene-imine [2+ 2] cycloaddition. The reactivity of 3, 3-dichloroazetidines with bases was investigated, yielding 2-[dimethoxy (aryl) methyl] aziridines by ring ...